Ms Martina Hennessy:

There certainly is huge potential for job creation and for the sector to promote economic growth around the coast in regions away from the urban centres. We do not see it being realistic that we would get into the actual building of wind turbines in this country. We do not have that type of heavy industry. Neither do we have the expertise or knowledge that is available in certain countries that are world leaders in this area, but we do see huge potential work in deploying wind turbines. I refer to centres where the components are brought to be assembled and then taken offshore. There would be ongoing work in operations and maintenance where there would be ongoing job requirements. There is also the supply chain. Enterprise Ireland has been doing a lot of work in recent years to build up the SME sector where there are particular technical jobs and expertise in different areas to support the overall industry. Enterprise Ireland has been doing work to get those companies more involved in work in the UK, in advance of the industry taking off in this country, so that they build up some of the expertise and knowledge. There are opportunities on a range of fronts that would benefit regions and coastal communities in particular.